Miss Utah contestant charged with making and throwing homemade bombs

A contestant in the upcoming Miss Utah beauty pageant was arrested on Saturday after admitting to helping make explosive devices and throwing them at houses and residents of her Salt Lake City suburb.

According to KUTV-TV, 18-year-old Kendra Gill and three friends, John Reagh, Shanna Smith and Bryce Stone, told authorities in Riverton, Utah, that they bought household chemicals, aluminum foil and plastic bottles to make the devices, which they then threw out of Smith’s car while riding through the area late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Gill was crowned Miss Riverton in June, which qualified her for the state competition.

No injuries were reported, but while Salt Lake County officials told KUTV they were still looking for a motive for the group’s actions, the station reported that, according to Stone, the joyride involved them playing a prank on friends, including Stone’s ex-girlfriend.

The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that materials matching the description of the debris left behind by the bombs were found in Stone’s trunk. The four suspects were charged with 10 counts each of setting off incendiary devices. Riverton Unified Fire Authority Capt. Clint Mecham told KUTV the devices had the potential to spark a fatal incident.

“They can cause injury to somebody just if the chemicals get on somebody, much less the fragmentation of the shrapnel damage that can be caused,” Mecham said to KUTV.

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Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt